Preparations for G20 Summit in Bali 99% complete: minister

The preparations for the entire series of G20 Summit events in Bali, which will be held on November 15–16, 2022, are 99 percent complete, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment has informed.

Various preparations, including those related to infrastructure, transportation, logistics, and security, are proceeding according to plan, Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.

"The preparations are going well. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) also reviewed the preparation yesterday. I think it is 99 percent ready," he informed in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Wednesday.

The National Committee for the G20 Presidency, which consists of a number of ministries, institutions, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and the National Police, has made several preparations for the summit.

The summit, which is the peak of the entire G20 series, will take place at the Apurva Kempinski, Nusa Dua, Badung.

G20 delegates are also scheduled to visit other locations such as the Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest Park (Tahura) in Denpasar and the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park in Jimbaran, Badung.

President Widodo, who will chair the entire series of G20 Summit meetings, directly reviewed the preparations from November 7–9.

He and the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries checked the preparations and simulations of welcoming state guests at the VVIP Building of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, the Apurva Kempinski, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, and Tahura Mangrove Ngurah Rai.

On the sidelines of his visit, the President said that Indonesia is ready to welcome state guests for the G20 Summit.

He also confirmed that 17 heads of state of G20 member nations will attend the summit in person.

The heads of state/heads of government include the President of the United States, Joe Biden; the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping; South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

So far, the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Bali has not been confirmed.

President Widodo said the two leaders are still considering the situation and conditions in their respective countries.

"A few days ago, I spoke on the phone with President Putin and President Zelenskyy respectively; they said they would attend if the conditions in their countries are going well," he disclosed.